Sunday, 30 November 2014

This week, Knight Models have posted up a couple of teaser images on their Facebook Page.
The first was the image above. Nyssa Al Ghul, daughter of Ra's and Heir to the Demon.
Seeing the picture is a screengrab from an Arrow episode, I'm wondering if this will be the first Arrow inspired model?

On Friday they posted this. The man without fear, Matt Murdock a.k.a Daredevil.
Or could it be Electra as she is there as well? Or even both of them?

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

After my Crew Building and Themed Crews posts, I thought it would be a good idea to set up some starter forces for each.
These then give me a place to start the painting for each crew and a selection of models to learn how each crew works and the differences between them.
150 Reputation is the smallest game, but it has been suggested to me that 200 Rep is a good place to start, so that's what I will go for. Well, with a couple of points either way. It also allows me to get some rule and weapon variety in each.
Below are the lists I'm going to start with. All the models can be found on the Knight Models site HERE

To start with it's going to be two sets of good guys. Then a set of villains for each movie, series or comic I'm working from.

Monday, 24 November 2014

Recently I have been asked several questions about the Knight Models ranges like "Where do I get those?" and "Does that one have rules?"So I thought I would put together a list of useful links for anyone looking into the Batman, Spider-Man, DC and Marvel models and games.

Friday, 21 November 2014

For this review I'm am going to look at something a little different.
The first products for Knight Models new Gotham Sceneography MDF terrain range.

The two initial releases are Queen and Wayne shipping Containers and Boxes.
For those that don't know the DC universe, Wayne Enterprises is owned by Bruce Wayne / Batman and Queen Industries is owned by Oliver Queen / Green Arrow.
Both companies are involved in all sorts of business and dealings around the world so it would be quite common to see products with their names on all around Gotham and Star City.

Both sets come in plastic bag packaging with a card top. Not overly protective but the MDF inside would be hard to damage.

Both come with a set of simple instructions. The Boxes are easy enough to work out but it's worth checking out the Container instructions before you start. These also show you how many of each you get. Two Containers and four Boxes.

The Containers (top) come on two MDF sheets with a set of four metal rods for the doors. One Wayne Containers and one Queen.
The Boxes (bottom) come on a single sheet. Two boxes and two cubes. Each design has one marked Queen and one Wayne.

The parts are all held on by one or two very small tabs. These will either need to be cut through with a small sharp knife, or you can choose to push out the parts and then cut or file the tabs off afterwards.

Next is the glue stage. As this is MDF, you will want to use something like PVA so building will take longer than normal models with super glue.

The first ones to tackle were the Containers.
The four large sides, hinges on them and back panel were glued and held together first. I suggest waiting for these to dry a little before moving on. While you are waiting, run a file over the bars quickly to remove any mould lines and then glue two of the four hinges onto the doors. The top or bottom two are fine but I did them in pairs so they didn't get mixed up.

Once all of that is dry, feed the bar through the holes on the end of the Containers, slide the door with hinges onto one end and then glue the hinges on the other end.

You will then get a stunning Container with working doors!

The Boxes were really easy to build. A dab of glue on to each of the tabs that sick out and hold the six sides together. Simple and effective.
The cubes have the company on all six sides while the crates only have it on the front. The back panel of these is blank.
Honestly, I would have preferred then to have the logo on both sides or at least some wodd effect detailing on the back instead of a blank panel.

What everyone wants to know though, is how they scale next to the miniatures.
As they are Wayne and Queen shipments, I have invited Mr Bruce Wayne and Mr Oliver Queen to help out with that.

As you can see, they scale really well with the models. A single cube or crate covers at least half a model and the opening doors let you play about with extra cover and movement on your board for some variety.

The fact these are marked with well known DC universe companies really helps turn your board into more of a Gotham or Star City than a generic town or dockyard.

In stores you can find the Boxes for around £6 and the Containers for around £10.
This might seem a touch high for MDF terrain but it is a large scale, highly detailed, very solid and a licensed product. With all that in mind, I think the prices are more than reasonable.
That reasonable in fact, I picked up 3 of each set!

Time for the scores.....

Boxes - 8/10

Containers 9/10

What are your thoughts on these?

Are you planning pick any up?

Check out the Knight Models store to see what they come out with next.

Wednesday, 19 November 2014

For the third Knight Models October release review I am heading to the Marvel universe.
This month it's two of my all time favourite characters. Venom and DEADPOOL!!!!!!!!!

Packaging is the usual Knight Models standard. Venom is in a large blister while Deadpool is in a small one.
Both have the parts held in tightly with foam and a display backing card with one side showing the characters team / affiliation logo and the other showing a painted example of the model.

Inside each blister you will find a highly detailed, 35mm scale, multi part metal model.
Venom comes in five pieces with a 40mm base while Deadpool is in four pieces with a 30mm base.
While these don't have stat cards like the Batman models, there is a Marvel rules set in the works for the near future.

Deadpool

Wade Wilson. The Merc with a Mouth. Constant breaker of the 4th wall and utter nut job.

Deadpool has found him self with the good guys and the bad in the Marvel universe. While he means well, it usually involves killing and blowing things up for a lot of money.

Deadpool is in four bits. Body, left arm, right arm and twin scabbard.
The main body has a dirt mound under one foot but it looks easy enough to remove if you want to.
As for mould lines, they are all but non existent. Very small and took seconds to clean.

Venom

Venom, the alien symbiote. First on Spiderman and Eddie Brock, currently on Flash Thompson as Agent Venom. Venom is a super powered killing machine that is difficult for the host to control.

This version is Mac Gargan. Ex Scorpion and member of the Dark Avengers.

Venom is in five parts. Legs, torso, left arm, right arm and tongue.
There were small mould lines around the torso and arms but the legs and tongue were quite clean.
Each part also has a large plug that matches a hole on the connecting piece.

Time to glue.......

Each model has had the base tab removed so they can be mounted on resin base toppers to match the rest of my collection.
Deadpool was a 'dead' easy build. The parts matched up perfectly and the model looks amazing!
Venom was a little more tricky. The large plugs had to be trimmed a little for a good fit and the waist will need a tiny bit of filler to smooth out the gap. Other than that, he looks great.

Deadpool is in stores for around £12. No more than characters for any of the bigger games, but the scale and detail is a lot more impressive than most of those others. Plus, ALL THOSE POUCHES!
Venom is around £25. He is a HUGE chunk of metal though. The muscle and symbol details make it a very imposing piece.

As I have slightly different views on these, I am going to score them separately.

Venom - 8/10 Badger Points

Deadpool - 10/10 Badger Points!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, Deadpool has landed my first 10/10 here in the Knight Models ranges. As a fan this model is all I have wanted for a long time and it doesn't disappoint!

Monday, 17 November 2014

For the second Knight Models October release review, I'm going to take a look at the new crew starter for the Batman Miniature Game.
Roman Sionis / Black Mask and his thugs.

The packaging is the usual from Knight Models. A large blister pack with all the parts all held in tightly with foam, stat cards behind it and a large display card showing painted examples of all the models included.

In the blister you will find four highly detailed 35mm metal models in multiple parts, four 30mm plastic bases and four of the new design side folding stat cards.
Looking at the cards, the first thing that stood out for me is that these four models add up to exactly 150 Reputation. Perfect size for a small game right out of the box. They also have a decent balance between support, ranged and close combat.

Anatoly and Black Mask

The first two to look at are the Leader Black Mask (right) and the heavy hitter Anatoly (left).

Black Mask comes in at 79 Rep with some very dangerous weapons. A Personal Gun and an Explosive Grenade. He also has a great support rule with No Mercy!! with gives all of his henchmen, including those with Affiliate: Unknown, the chance to deal extra Blood Damage.

Anatoly is just as dangerous, but he takes it up close. 33 Rep with Football Gear, Tireless, Veteran and Brutal makes him a force to be reckoned with.

The model for these two are very clean. Each coming in only two parts they are simple to build as well.
Anatoly has a small mould line around the edge but it was easy to clean off. I'm not overly keen on the base between his feet though but that's just personal taste.
Black Mask barely had a mould line on him at all. Took seconds to get him ready to build.

Mesh and Goon

The next two in the box are Mesh (right) and a generic Goon (left).

Mesh is going to cost you 22 Rep to hire with a big price tag of $600. But, he has a killer Assault rifle that's worth it. The only problem here is that at 150 Rep, you only get $500 to spend. This means to use him 'officialy' you need to play at 200 Rep or more so will need more models. (Mobsters work)

Goon on the other hand is nice and cheap. 16 Rep and you can multiples of him if you want. His Brass Knuckles will knock opponents to the ground with ease.

The models for these were beyond simple to clean and build. Two or three parts that slotted together and next to no mould lines. As with Black Mask, suits are SO easy to prepare for building!

Glue time.....

Building was amazingly quick. No effort what so ever. The part that took to longest was taking the base tabs off to mount them on resin bases. That's my own choice though so doesn't really count.
The crew all together look really effective and dangerous. Black Mask is the most stunning of the lot.
Still not keen on Anatolys base but the other Henchmen are very nice.

In most stores you can find this box for around £25. Not bad for a high quality, metal, 35mm scale, playable force. A much cheaper start up then a lot of the popular games out there.

Taking this all into account, the score for these is.......

8/10 Badger Points

If Mesh was $500 and Anatoly didn't have such and imposing base, these could have been a straight 10!